Selfish Love
by MasenMarieCarlie
Summary: "This isn't a crush, it's obsession. You are never not in my thoughts. Your scent carries across a room and paralyses me with longing. I don't want to hold your hand. Part of me wants to set you on fire and hold you while the flame consumes us both, to eat your heart so I know that only I possess it entirely." Gwen Hayes, Falling Under
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

Bound by circumstances Bella is forced to marry against her wishes to cruel and psychotic Edward Cullen. Edward only wants to possess Bella as his, but he wants her to suffer as she reminds him of everything he hates in a women.

"This isn't a crush, it's obsession. You are never not in my thoughts. Your scent carries across a room and paralyses me with longing. I don't want to hold your hand. Part of me wants to set you on fire and hold you while the flame consumes us both, to eat your heart so I know that only I possess it entirely." **(Gwen Hayes, _Falling Under)_**

**Chapter 1**

"It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things."  
><strong>(Lemony Snicket, <em>Horseradish)<em>**

**Bella (17 years old)**

"Who is your celebrity crush?" Jessica my best friend asked me randomly during our business studies class, but that is Jessica for you. She would ask totally bizarre and random questions out of the blue and at the most inappropriate time.

"How is that related to logarithms? I swear Jessica you are so easily distracted. No wonder you are failing this class," I was annoyed with her lack of attention, seriously she had a brain of goldfish.

"Just answer my question Bella," she replied exasperatedly like I was the one who was being unreasonable.

"I don't know Jessica, unlike you I am trying to focus here", I answered her and focusing again on teacher.

"You are so boring Bella", she said rolling her eyes at me. "Anyway you know my friend Mike from the trailer park", she continued like she was going to divulge some interesting news.

"The one with tattoos and facial piercings?", I asked suspiciously, already not liking where this conversation was going.

"Yeah, he has invited us to the party this weekend. It's going to be amazing, there are going to be cute guys and free booze." She said excitedly.

"No thanks, Jessica. I am not interested, anyway I don't know this guy, and if my dad finds out that I am going to a party where there is alcohol and boys involved he will ground me for the rest of my life" my dad a.k.a police chief Charlie Swan was extremely protective of me, his only daughter.

My parents were -still are- devote Christians and married young right after high school. They were in love, happy and wanted to start their own family as soon as possible, they got lucky and soon after my older brother Emmett was born and due some complication during her delivery the doctors informed her that she will never be able to conceive again. They were happy and content with just my brother but my dad always wanted to have a little princess. So I was born eight years after my brother Emmett was born. It was probably the happiest day of their life when I was born. I was literally their miracle baby, born prematurely at seven month with strong set of lungs and perfectly healthy. The doctors worried that I would have to spend some nights in an incubator but fortunately I was born healthy and with no complications what so ever.

"Come on, Bella it will be so much fun. You study so hard, don't you want to have some fun, get drunk and kiss some random guy. Look I am not telling you to have sex, just enjoy yourself and not worry about studying." She said pleadingly, she had these big bambi eyes that she used to her full advantage, whenever she wanted to get her way. Jessica was pretty but what made her more appealing was her personality. She was fun, bubbly and never held grudges.

I guess there is no harm in having a little bit of fun and plus this _is_ the time to have fun. There will be a lot of time to remain focus and study hard and achieve something but this time will never come back. I don't want to regret anything, anyway its just one party. "Okay, but I wont stay late and promise me you will be my side all the time".

"I promise, but there is one condition. You have to wear a short dress and I know you don't wear short dresses but if you don't want to standout then you have to wear it". Jessica had been my best friend as long I can remember, she is the wild one or adventures what ever you want to call it, while I am the studious-never-break-any-rules kind of girl, even though we are polar opposite we somehow get each other, challenge and push each other to experience something different.

"But I don't own any short dress".

"Don't worry about that, you can borrow mine. I am telling you Bella you wont regret this. We will have so much fun, I will make sure of that". Her statement made me more uncomfortable. She had this sinister look in her eyes that made me doubt my own decision.

On the day of the party I was feeling anxious, like I was going to commit the biggest mistake. I was more worried about getting caught by my dad and having to face his disappointed face, but I wanted to experience how it felt to be normal high school student with attending parties and flirting with other guys, as if any guy in their right mind would flirt with prude and God fearing Bella.

I am average looking with plain brown eyes, chocolate brown waist length hair. The only thing I feel lucky to have is my flawless skin. I grabbed my overnight bag from the bed for my sleepover with Jessica and walked downstairs to say good byes to my parents and rushed outside the door to meet Jessica in her car.

"Jess, I think my dress is too short and tight", I said hesitantly, looking at myself in the mirror. The black lace dress was beautiful with full-length lace sleeves, and lace V neck which was not too deep to show my full cleavage, however, it emphasised my boobs and butt, barely reaching mid thighs. I usually wear loose tops in order to hide my boobs and wearing fitted tops make me uncomfortable.

"Bella you look hot and sophisticated, not trashy. You have amazing figure, just show it off a little bit. Who knew you had boobs. I am so jealous of you right now". Jessica said, as if she couldn't believe that I had curves, that is not to say that she doesn't have beautiful figure. Jessica is tall and slender with curves on the right places and her body is toned.

Whereas, I am short and curvy which made me feel more self-conscious. "You look like a model, whereas, I look fat Jessica". I mentioned self consciously, stretching my dress down a little bit to cover my thighs.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is not fat", she said pinching my butt and cupping one of my boob. "These are called curves and you have the tinniest waist, which is perfect hour-glass figure. You know you will definitely attract attention tonight, what with this dress and your killer figure, so be prepared".

"Don't be so vulgar Jessica" I said swatting her hand away from my boob. "Do you really think so?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, come on, let me do your makeup". She applied some natural brown eye shadows and applied black winged eyeliner then put some nude lipstick on my lips. The makeup was natural and simple, perfect for the occasion. "Just put your hair up in a ponytail, you look beautiful Bella".

"Thanks, you know you should consider this as a profession. You are really good at it and I am sure you will be a great makeup artist one day".

"Maybe I will, I haven't thought of doing it as a profession".

"Well you should".

"Here, wear these. This goes perfectly with your dress". She said handing me beautiful black pair of heals. The back of the shoe and heal was covered in black Swarovski stones, with dainty little strap going around the ankle. It was dangerous and sexy at the same time.

"How am I supposed to walk in these?"

"Just like every other girl who walks in heels, just don't look down. Let's go we are late". She said hurriedly and dragged me outside of the room and towards the door.

I had never been or even invited to a high school party before, only heard snippets and whispers of certain wild moments that occurred at the party in the library or around the school. I was a little bit wary of going to this party; maybe it was because it was my first time. Jessica tried to reassure me again and again that I would have fun.

When we finally arrived at the party, the party was in full swing. There was loud music blaring from inside the house, and just by looking at the amount of cars and some motorbikes parked outside the house, it looked like full house. The house was gorgeous, it was log style house, with wooden windows. There was huge lawn in front of the house and open space around the house. The overlooked the Sol Duc river.

"Where are we Jessica, who is throwing this party?" I thought we were going to some small party, where there weren't going to be so many people. One thing was for sure that that Mike dude did not throw the party from trailer park.

"Um… so I lied, you know that new girl Tanya Denali. This is her party, her parents are out of town so she is throwing this party and Mike said everyone was invited. So… don't get mad, I think it is better that it's a big party no one will find out that we weren't invited". She admitted a bit reluctantly.

"So we weren't actually invited in the first place and you lied to me. Why Jess, it would be so embarrassing if she finds out. She will think we are desperate". I was shocked to find out that she was so desperate to attend this party.

"Don't be such a drama queen. We are not the only one who are here uninvited, but no one cares. People will be so drunk that they wont remember a thing tomorrow, so relax… take a deep breath. Its fine." She answered; she looked excited and ready to get inside.

"Okay, Okay, but if she finds out and kick us out of the party, it would be really humiliating and entirely your fault". I said getting out of the car.

"The only reason she will kick us out of the party is because we look hot and she will be so jealous that she will eventually have to kick us out". She said confidently with a little smile on her face.

The music was even louder inside the house and it was crowded. There were people dancing like there was no tomorrow, some making out and humping each other against the wall across the room. Jess grabbed my hand and dragged me across the room towards the kitchen to get us both drinks. The room was so crowded that I was literally having problem with breathing. Jessica basically abandoned me after a while saying that I was being anti-social and that she need to socialize. I emptied my cup in the sink and roamed around the house to look for a place where there was a little bit of privacy. I climbed the stairs to the second floor and leaned against the banister to watch people dancing and socializing below me. It was much more peaceful up here.

Suddenly, I felt someone watching me. I looked over my shoulder and saw a guy standing behind me leaning against the wall with a lit cigarette in one of his hand, and staring at me.

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked getting a bit angry with him. It was dark so I couldn't see his face properly. He looked tall and built and I could see a glimpse of a tattoo on his arm. I already didn't like him.

"Why, is it illegal to stare at a beautiful girl now too?" he questioned stepping a little closer to me now. "Hello, my name is Ryan and you are?" he said extending his hand towards me for a handshake.

I leaned back a little and saw his face. He had dark hair and smoky grey eyes. "Bella, and I am not interested". I replied turning back and looking down again, ignoring him completely.

"Well you are little spitfire, aren't you?" he mentioned leaning beside me. He was the epitome of self-confidence. I hated guys like him, who knew they were good-looking and took full advantage of it. I may not have had much experience with guys but I wasn't naïve either and I knew his kind very well.

Before he could say anything else I walked away from there. I wasn't enjoying myself and I wanted to go home already but I didn't want to drag Jess along with me either. She was enjoying herself. I was regretting coming to this party with Jessica, I knew I wouldn't enjoy myself here. I am not the partying or flirting type. I was okay with being plain and boring. I walked outside and took out my iPhone; there were ten missed calls and two voice mails from my brother Emmett.

Emmett Swan married his college sweetheart Rosalie Cullen a year ago. Rosalie wasn't particularly my parent's favorite; all I know that somehow her brother was the cause of their disapproval. My Dad was particularly against the match. However, Emmett was madly in love with Rosalie and when it came to choosing between his family and Rosalie, he obviously picked Rosalie. Dad was heartbroken, whenever I tried to ask him why he was so against their marriage, his only answer would be 'I failed in protecting my family'. Last I heard from him, they were both expecting. I hoped this news would patch things between Emmett and Dad. My parents were ecstatic to hear the news; they planned to visit my brother soon.

I checked the first voicemail. _Bella, Call me right now. Why are you not picking up your phone?_

Second voicemail, _Bella; whenever you get this message just call me, okay. I am on my way._

I immediately called Emmett but he didn't pick up. I tried calling my parents and no response from them either. I was panicking; I hoped everything was okay with Emmett and Rosalie. I dialed his number again and waited for him to pick up his phone.

"Hello, Bella-"

"Hey Em, everything Okay." I cut Emmett before he could say anything. "Is everything okay with Rosalie and baby?"

"Bell, listen to me…. you need to go to the Forks Hospital right now. Mom and Dad were in a car accident. I am on my way; I will be there in 15 minutes." Emmett said calmly.

"Emmett, don't be ridiculous. Mom and Dad are at home; they weren't planning on going anywhere tonight. If this is some kind of joke, its not funny."

"Bella I am serious, you need to get to the hospital right now. I will meet you there." He hanged up, before I could ask anything else.

I sprinted inside the house, looking for Jess but I couldn't find her anywhere. I was walking around the house, like a crazy person, asking if they have seen Jessica. No one knew where she was. I was becoming hysterical.

"Hey spitfire! What's up, why are you crying?", Ryan, the tattoo guy suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He looked surprised to see me crying. I didn't even realize that I was crying until he pointed out to me. I felt helpless and desperate. All kinds of horrible notions constantly bombarded my brain. I abruptly, burst out crying with a loud wail. It was embarrassing, the more I tried to control it the worst it got. I think I scared Ryan with my wailing and sobbing. Everyone around us was now staring.

"Oh shit, Fuck, no… no… no… please Bella, don't cry. What happened?" his face was comical. He was alarmed by my antics. He pulled me outside away from all the onlookers. "Take a deep breath, and tell me what happened." He said calmly.

"I-I-I n-n-need a r-ride and I co-couldn't find Jessica." I stuttered between my sobs.

"Thank Fuck", He said relieved by my answer. "That's it? I thought someone tried to molest you in there, with all that wailing inside. I can give you a ride, where do you want to go?"

"Ho-ho-hospital, Forks Hospital. My pa-parents were…"

"Oh Shit, wait here. I will bring my car around. Don't worry everything will be fine."

We arrived at the hospital just before Emmett did along with Rosalie. When I saw Emmett face, I burst into tears all over again. He walked towards me and hugged me tightly. I felt waves of relief wash over me.

"Everything will be okay, Honey B. I am here now, I will take care of everything", Emmett tried to calm me but it was useless. My big brother was here. Emmett has always been my safe harbor. I remember when I was seven I got bullied at school for my small height, Emmett was there to protect me.

He cupped my face in both hands and wiped my tears. "You know I can't bear to see you crying".

We were later informed that our mother Renee Swan died instantly due to head injury and our Dad was in very critical condition. After hearing the news of my mother's death I passed out. When I opened my eyes Rosalie was sitting beside my bed.

"Hello Isabella, how are you feeling?" she inquired politely.

"I am good. How long was I out for?"

"Five hours. Isabella, I know we don't know each other very well, but I would like to know you better and help you in anyway I can. Don't hesitate to ask me for anything." Rosalie said compassionately.

"Thanks Rosalie, I want to see Dad." I said pleadingly.

"Emmett is with him, he wanted to talk to Emmett."

"So he is conscious, I am going to see him right now."

I walked towards dad room and saw Emmett holding his hand between his own hands. He was crying, but when I entered the room, he immediately wiped his tears and looked my way. My heart clenched when I saw the desolate look on his face. Dad whispered something in Emmett's ear.

"Bella, Dad wants to talk to you," He waved his hand signaling me to come near.

"Hey Princess, why so sad?" he said with a tiny smile on his face. He looked haggard, he had red swollen eyes, which he could barely open. He face sickly pale. My eyes watered just looking at him in this condition.

"Daddy…" my voice wobbled a little.

"Come here, Princess. You have to be strong now. Emmett promised me that he would take good care of you," he held my hand and brought it to his lips. "I don't regret anything in my life, only that I wouldn't be able to walk you down the aisle. I was really looking forward to playing with my grandchild. Your mother is waiting for me, that stubborn women, she can't leave me alone for one moment." He was smiling and looking at the corner of the room like he could actually see her.

"Daddy, you cant leave me alone." I said pleadingly.

"Honey, you won't be alone. I love you, Princess." He said closing his eyes and took his last breath.

"Dad, wakeup! Em, why isn't he waking up!" I exclaimed and fainted again.

**AN: Hello everyone, I hope you like this story so far and thank you for giving this story a chance. This is my first time writing a story so please go easy on me. I apologise for any spelling and grammatical mistakes as english is not my first language. Leave a review and let me know what you think. **

**~MMC~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind." **(Patrick Rothfuss, **_**The Name of the Wind**_**)**

After the death of my parents I was numb and disoriented for some time. I couldn't believe that they were dead and were no longer a part of my life. There were these brief moments where I thought everything was normal that my parents didn't die suddenly in a violent car crash and then reality would barge in. Emmett was extremely careful around me and treated me like I was one of those porcelain dolls. He was overly affectionate with me all the time, which annoyed and irritated me to no end. I spend all my time in my room, remembering about those precious moments I spent with them. These thoughts would eventually lead to anger, anger at my parents for leaving me alone, Emmett and God.

_Why are you being so cruel to me? I have always been a good daughter and good Christian. Then why? Why did you punish me in the most horrible way you could by taking away my parents and leaving me orphan? _I questioned, as if I will get answer to these questions.

Rosalie tried a few times to get me out of my room and engage me in the conversation. After trying few times she gave up and left me alone. Jessica also called me a few times but I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, so I simply ignored all her calls. Emmett handled all the details that go along with arranging a funeral. I was relieved that he didn't involve me in the planning process.

Emmett and Rosalie wanted me to come and live with them in Seattle and finish my high school there, maybe even go to university in Seattle. I wasn't so sure about that, It was already hard to adjust to the idea that I wouldn't find my mom smiling face greeting me and fussing over me everyday when I come home from school, that my dad wouldn't be checking up on me in the middle of night and kiss my forehead thinking that I was already asleep. There were so many memories of them in this house, I didn't want to move away and leave those memories behind.

_But I guess this is what life is about, nothing goes according to our plans and I just have to adjust my plans and expectation and move on_. I thought to myself, therefore, I agreed in the end to move away from Forks and live with Rosalie and Emmett. He was my only family now and a father figure.

On the day of funeral, while coming down the stairs I heard Rosalie talking to someone on the phone, "I am fine Edward, don't worry…Emmett is taking care of me…Give him some time, he just lost his parents…you can be so selfish sometimes, give him at least a month to adjust…he is just not your partner he is also my husband and your brother-in-law…." I guess Rosalie was talking to her brother. From the one sided conversation I heard it sounded like this Edward was a self-centered guy. "How is Alice…I can't come right now, maybe after the baby is born? Why don't you send Alice here, it will be good for her anyway…when are you coming... I know, I know. I just worry about you. Take care, Bye." She hanged up, and turned around. "Good morning, Bella. How are you feeling sweety?" she inquired.

"Good morning, Rosalie. I am good, where is Emmett?"

"He went out for jogging. You know he is happy about you coming with us to Seattle"

"When is the service taking place?", I questioned, changing the topic of me moving all the way to Seattle.

"It is at 11 o'clock. Are you hungry? I can quickly fix up something for you"

"No, I am fine. I will just have cereals," I replied taking the milk out of the refrigerator. I quickly finished my breakfast and went upstairs to change for the funeral.

~SL~

The service was held at local church, it looked like the whole town was present at the funeral. It was heart-warming to see that my parents were well respected in this small town. I saw Jessica and Ryan in the church. I felt guilty for a second; I had been avoiding my best friend since the accident. And Ryan, I felt ashamed of the way I treated him at Tanya's party and judged him based on his appearance. In the end, he turned out to be the only person who helped me and I didn't even thank him for his help.

After the service was over, I saw Jessica coming towards me. Her face was somber.

"Hey, How are you?" she inquired while holding my hand. "I am really sorry for your parents. Bella, I also want to apologies for abandoning you at the party. I totally understand if you are mad at me." She had tears in her eyes and I could see that she was beating herself for not being there when I needed her most.

"Jess, I am not mad at you. I was never mad at you."

"Then why have you been ignoring my calls?"

"I was just not ready to talk to anyone at that moment."

"Are we still friends?"

"Yes, we are still best friends." I answered, hugging her to me.

" I heard you are moving away to Seattle."

"Yeah, I am. Emmett and Rosalie are my only family now so..."

"I am going to miss you so much. Please stay in touch, and I might even visit you there in Seattle. So when are you going?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"So soon! What about school, you can't leave in the middle of year. Well I am not surprised, if anyone can join a new school in the middle of year and still maintains their GPA, it's you. Well Good Luck, and email me."

"Thanks, I will. I am going to miss you."

"Me too. Take care." She replied and hugged me tightly.

I looked around the church but I couldn't find Ryan anywhere, _I guess he is already gone,_ I thought to myself.

~SL~

It has been six months since I moved here in Seattle, Rosalie and Emmett have been really nice to me. But it didn't feel like home, it felt like I was intruding their privacy, their personal space. Rosalie is too polite to ever admit it to my face; I try to help her as much as I can around the house now that she was eight months pregnant. I was already planning to move out once I go to university, so they can concentrate on their own family and not worry about me.

Rosalie's sister Alice will be coming in few weeks from Dubai. She is planning to study Fashion here in Seattle. I have seen her few times on Skype while she was talking to Rosalie. She looked totally opposite of Rosalie, where Rosalie was blond and tall, she was dark haired and petite. The only resemblance between them was their violet colored eyes, and their exceptional beauty.

Rosalie and her family was originally from Texas, her father was pastor in their local church, but now Rosalie was atheist. She didn't like much to talk about her childhood or past. I never heard her mentioning her parents; she would only talk about her siblings, her older brother Edward and her younger sister Alice. Rosalie was more interested to hear about our childhood, more especially about my mother, maybe because she lost her mother at young age.

"I was really looking forward to meeting your mother. Emmett told me so much about her," she said wistfully one day, "I always felt a little bit jealous of him that he had such an amazing relationship with his mother. I thought after marrying Emmett, I would gain a mother figure but instead…" she said with a sad little smile on her face.

"Well Emmett left his only family for you. The mother he apparently loved so much, the father he admired and me, his baby sister. He left all of us for you." I replied accusingly.

"I never wanted him to leave his family for me, believe me that was the last thing I wanted for him. But your dad was against our relationship and there was no way of appeasing him. And when we found out that we were expecting, Emmett was over the moon. We hoped, by sharing this news with Charlie, it would bring the family together."

"They were happy to hear about the baby," I confessed finally, "especially Dad, he bought this cute little onesie one day, it had 'If you think I am cute, you should see my Grandpa' written on it." I laughed remembering my dad proudly showing the onesie to us, and my mom teasing him about it.

"Alice is coming this weekend," she said, quickly changing the topic and swiftly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "You will like her, she is excited to meet you."

"I thought she was coming next week."

"She wanted to come early and explore the city before starting her university."

"Oh. I cant wait to meet her as well." I answered faking the enthusiasm in my voice.

~SL~

I liked Alice; she was a total fashionista but fun and bubbly. She was tiny, with elfin features. She reminded me a bit of Audrey Hepburn, graceful and classy. Although, she was a year older than me she looked fifteen or sixteen years old. She stayed with us for a while until she could find an apartment. We became quite close during her stay with us, she was one of those people which you could not resist loving. She dragged me along with her to explore the city. For the first time after my parent's death I had actual fun and we were inseparable after that.

"Bella, do you have a boyfriend?" she questioned me while we were sitting in a café after our shopping trip. "I mean, I have never heard you mention any guy and I was just curious."

"Never had one, Dad was quite strict about dating. And no one ever asked me out," I replied casually.

"I totally understand. It was the same with me in Dubai; Edward was very strict about me dating as well, that's why I moved here so I could finally date anyone I want without him butting in."

"So how long have you been living in Dubai?"

"About four years."

"I have heard that Arabs are quite strict with their woman, is it true?"

"I wouldn't say strict, more like protective of them. They do give respect to women, that's for sure."

I was intrigued, I have never been anywhere outside of Forks and now Seattle. It was interesting to hear about other cultures and traditions.

"Do they really have more than one wife?" I asked, I remembered hearing something on news about Arab Muslims having more than one wife at a time.

"Yeah, they can have maximum four wives at a time." she replied, laughing at my expression.

"That's disturbing. Why would they have four wives?"

"I have not seen any Arab women having problem with it, its normal for them, it is part of their culture. Anyway, it's not a common practice anymore, only the very rich one can afford to keep more than one wife. If an Arab man has a second wife he has to treat both his wives equally and fairly in every aspect, from time to finance. Imagine treating four wives fairly and equally, it is bound to be exhausted." She explained. "Well, if your interview is over we should get moving."

~SL~

Rosalie was at the stage in her pregnancy where it was difficult for her to sit, walk and even sleep. She was grumpy and moody most of the time.

"Oh God! I can't take this anymore. I want this baby to be born already," she complained, while entering the kitchen. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked exhausted.

"Well this baby is stubborn, he will be born when he wants to be born." I said, sympathetically.

"It has been a week since my estimated due date but this little dude is nice and cozy in there," she replied, while pointing towards her swollen belly.

"Do you want me to give you a back message?"

"Please, if you don't mind. I could really use a back massage right now. Wait a sec, let me go pee first."

"Bella! I think my water just broke." Rosalie shouted to me from the washroom.

"What? Okay, calm down. I am calling the hospital right now."

"Call Emmett as well, I want him with me."

After seventeen hours of labor pains, Rosalie gave birth to a beautiful, dark haired, violet-eyed baby boy. Emmett was overjoyed and understandably emotional to finally meet his son.

However, watching them, looking adoringly at their newborn son made me feel like an intruder, watching them from the sidelines. I really missed my parents at that moment because no one can ever make me feel as cherished as they made me feel. I sent a silent prayer for my parents, Emmett and his little family.

~SL~

**AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter. From now on, I will be updating every week. You guys won't have to wait as long as you waited for the second chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Even constructive criticism is welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Bella (22 years old)

Edward (30 years old)

Emmett (30 years old)

Rosalie (27 years old)

Alice (23 years old)

Jasper (29 years old)

Ryan Denali (25 years old)

**5 Years later**

"Always the innocent are the first victims, so it has been for ages past, so it is now." **(J.K. Rowling, **_**Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)**_

"Bella, where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago," Rosalie sounded mad and rightfully so. I was supposed to pick Ethan's birthday cake on my way from school and I was extremely late.

"I am on my way, will take me about five minutes." I replied sheepishly.

"Hurry up, almost all the guests are here. And Ethan has asked me about the cake five times already."

"Okay, Okay. Bye." I said hanging up the phone on her.

Emmett and Rosalie's house was more like a mansion than an actual house. They bought it a year after Ethan was born. There was a front lawn with lots of expensive plants and flowers adorning the border of the lawn. The lawn was crowded with kids and their parents; as usual Rosalie went over-board with decorations and party arrangements. The whole driveway and the entrance were lit up with twinkle lights and bouncy castle. It looked like the theme of the party was Ben10, there were few people wearing Ben 10 alien customers and entertaining the small kids. As soon as I closed the door of my cherry red Volvo S40, gifted to me by my brother as a graduation present, Rosalie appeared in front of me with her arms crossed and scowling at me.

"Seriously, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, my GPS wasn't working so I lost my way and it took me a lot of time to find the cake shop." I answered in one breath.

"Why aren't you ready yet? Bella, you and your brother are the same, you guys never do anything on time," She complained by raising one of her hand in a frustrated gesture. "He was supposed to be here by now with Edward." Rosalie looked stunning as usual; she had a beautiful royal blue, long, chiffon dress with embellished bust and waist. The strapless sweet heart neckline showed off her breasts and tiny waist. Her hair was in messy up do with parted bangs. Her makeup was flawless, with dark red lips and black winged eyeliner.

"Edward? Your brother Edward?" I questioned, Rosalie's brother Edward has never visited Rosalie in last five years, instead Rosalie and Emmett and even Alice has always visited him in Dubai. I always found it a bit strange but I guess he must be busy to visit his sisters here in States.

"Yeah. I forgot to tell you he is coming today from Dubai and Emmett has gone to pick him from the airport," she explained "Now, hurry up. Go inside and change, I will send Alice up to your room to do your makeup." She ordered, and pushed me towards the front door.

"Okay, I am going. You don't have to be so pushy. By the way, where is the Birthday Boy?" I inquired about my five-year-old nephew.

"He is with his friends right now. Wait, where is the cake?"

"Oh, I forgot. It is in the passenger seat." I said pointing to the front seat of my car.

"I will get it. Go on up, I will send Alice as soon as I find her."

"Okay," I replied walking towards the front door with my dress in my hand. I went upstairs straight to the guestroom that I usually use whenever I am visiting. I hung my dress in the wardrobe and started stripping to take a quick shower in the adjoining bathroom. There was a bathtub and shower cabinet with glass door. The only reason I liked using this bathroom was because of the awesome rain shower. I turned on the shower and stood underneath the warm spray, it was peaceful and relaxing to finally have a moment to think. For the past five years I have been working constantly to achieve what I have right now.

Firstly, graduating from high school with enough grades to get into my first choice university. Secondly, to graduate from university with Math's degree, getting my teachers license and finally, to get a job in a school where I fit in and can actually make a difference. I have always been so focused on what I want to achieve that I have never stopped to have fun like normal girls my age do, never went out on a date, not since the night of accident. Somewhere in my mind I have always blamed myself for the accident, for a long time I had felt like I have let my parents down, so, I did everything that would have made them proud of me. Alice have tried various times to set me up with someone and I have just blown her off every single time, but she is a persistent little thing, never gives up. It has been couple of months since starting my new job and it has been crazy, teaching Math to high schooler is not as easy as I thought at first. The constant struggle to make math fun and making sure that they understand it is a challenge in itself. I turned off the shower and turned to open the glass door.

Then all of a sudden I saw a tall, dark figure leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. I was so surprised and scared that I didn't know what to do, instead I screamed and rushed to get the big, fluffy towel from the towel rack to cover myself. The floor was slippery from the water and in my hurry; my foot slipped and fell flat on my back. I hit the back of my head on the stone shower wall. I was disoriented for a moment and then I groaned out loud in pain.

"Fuck! Hey, are you okay there?" the stranger came closer and stood right beside me. I thought I saw a flash of concern pass through his emerald eyes but it could have been my head malfunctioning due to injury. I have to admit, for a serial rapist, he was quite good looking. He had a well-defined face with strong jawline that was covered with five o'clock shadow. His eyes were vibrant green, fringed with thick eyelashes that any girl would die to have. His nose was a little crooked as if he had broken it one or twice during a fight. His mouth was in a straight line with his lower lip slightly fuller than the top one, and his chestnut brown hair were disheveled on top of his head.

"Please, don't come in any closer." I pleaded to him and tried to get up. I was scared that he was some kind of serial killer or rapist, who was going to rape me and then kill me after he was done.

"Shut up! And stay still. Let me check your injuries," I whimpered at his command.

He is definitely a rapist and I am going to die in the most horrible way a person can die, I thought to myself. "Please, please don't hurt me." I tried one last time to appeal to his better nature. Dear lord please help me and I promise you in return I will go to church every Sunday, I prayed silently in my head.

"What is your name?" he demanded while inspecting my ankle, I flinched when his fingers touched the bruised ankle. I brought my hands up to cover my private parts. It was an instinct to cover myself without even thinking. Why does he want to know my name? Do serial killers ask their victim's name before they kill them? I wondered dazedly.

"I-I-Isabella."

"Does your head hurt? Do you feel sleepy, Isabella?"

"Yes…no. Umm… I don't know?" I was thoroughly confused now; I didn't know why he was asking these questions. Suddenly, without even a single warning, he picked me up easily in his arms, as if I weighed nothing and proceeded to carry me towards the room. "Who are you?" by now I was having a full-on panic attack. God, please send someone right now and save me from this evil man. I took a deep breath, in order to start screaming for help.

"What do you think you were doing in my washroom, trying to seduce me?" his voice was harsh and in-credulous. "I know your kind very well, as soon as you see a rich man you throw yourself on them shamelessly." He continued, his words full of hatred and disgust. He abruptly dropped me on top of the bed without any concern for my injured ankle. I was distracted from my confusion and disbelief as hot flash of pain washed over me and I whimpered in pain.

I quickly grabbed the comforter and tried to cover myself up, I didn't want this stranger to get any more glimpses of my naked body. Meanwhile, the bedroom door burst open and Alice appeared in the doorway with bright red short dress that reached her mid-thigh. She looked at me and then at the stranger's scowling face. There were so many emotions that passed through her face that it was hard to comprehend her reaction. First there was happiness, then confusion and lastly, alarm.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" she asked. I guess he is not just a stranger.

I am doomed!

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is my room." He snapped at Alice, poor Alice.

"No, this is not your room. Your room is next door." She explained calmly like it was a normal occurrence for her brother to lash out at her.

Then realization dawned on him, and he got ever more angry. "How was I supposed to know that this is not my room?" He shouted and walked out of the room. He banged his room door loudly like it was my fault that he was in the wrong room.

I flinched at the loud sound and finally relaxed into the bed. "Your brother has major anger issues." I said as a matter of fact.

"Tell me about it," she said rolling her eyes. "Well why are you in bed naked?" she asked lifting one of her well-shaped eyebrow.

Uh oh, how am I going to explain this situation to Alice without embarrassing myself in the process? Here goes nothing… " Uh…um… while I was taking a shower I slipped, you know how clumsy I am, and in the process I sprained my ankle and bumped my head, so I somehow managed to get myself in the bedroom to get my phone. You know, to call you or Rosalie and then your brother showed up…" I was quite proud of myself with the story, it sounded almost believable. But Alice is quite perceptive.

"Yeah? But that does not explain you in the bed naked when your bag is in the car and so is your phone." She said suspiciously. Oh God, this girl should be a detective.

Busted! "How do you know my bag was in the car?" I questioned a bit perplexed.

"Because, your bag is right here with me." She said raising one of her hand and showing me the bag, "Rosalie asked me to bring it upstairs for you. Now tell me what are you doing in bed?"

"…When I saw your brother, I panicked and covered myself in the bed." I declared.

"Okay... show me your ankle." she came up closer and saw my bruised and swollen ankle. "Yikes! That nasty. I think you should rest it off. I will bring the ice pack; it will help with the swelling. Do you want me to get painkillers for you?"

"No, I am fine. Just bring me an icepack and as soon as the swelling goes down I will come down. I don't want to miss Ethan's birthday. Please, don't tell anyone, I don't want to ruin Ethan's day." I joined both of my hands and pleaded to Alice.

"Okay stay put, I will be back in a minute." I simply nodded my head.

After my swelling had tamed down a bit, I dressed in a long halter, white lace dress with floral applique and beaded details all over it. It was one of those dresses that can be worn either way short or long. I however, wore it long just adding a plain white chiffon skirt with long side slit and thin gold belt. The dress was beautiful and it also covered my bruised ankle. I accessorized it with golden bangles. Alice did my makeup; she painted my lips with dark red lipstick and straightened my long, thick hair.

"Bella, you look beautiful." She said enthusiastically.

"Well not as beautiful as you and Rosalie." I stated.

"Silly Bella. You are beautiful in your own way. You don't see yourself clearly. Now, are you sure you are up for the party, I still think you should rest you ankle might get worse."

"Alice I am fine. I want to go down, lets go we are getting late." I said grabbing her hand dragging her downstairs with me. I was limping a little, trying not to put a lot of weight on my ankle.

"Bella, there is something very important I have to tell you after the party but first I want you to introduce you to someone." She grabbed my hand pulled me along with her towards Jasper, and someone else who was talking animatedly with Jasper. I couldn't see who it was as his back was towards me. Alice walked up to Jasper and hugged him and faced the other guy.

"Hey Rye, I want you to meet someone," she pulled me forward and turned me towards the stranger, "meet my best friend Isabella Swan, but we all call her Bella. And Bella this is Jasper's best friend-"

"Ryan?" I was surprised to see him after such long time. The last time I saw him was at the funeral. He had changed over the years. He was now more muscular, and his face was more angular. He has a long scar on top of his left eyebrow. His silvery grey eyes were more serious and somber now; he seemed different, as if he had seen too much in the last few years.

"Bella? What…how-" He was clearly surprised to see me as well after all these years.

"You both know each other?" Alice asked, looking at both of us.

"Kind of, he helped me a long time ago. Long story I will tell you later." I answered.

"It is great to see you Bella." He finally replied.

"Bella, Ryan Denali here is a Marine. He served alongside Jasper in Afghanistan before Jasper's accident." She mentioned with a devious smile on her face and made some silly excuse and left me alone with Ryan.

I was impressed and felt a little bit awkward around him. Listening to Alice talking about him made me feel guiltier for my attitude towards him that fateful night and not even thanking him for his help.

"Well not anymore. I recently came back from my last tour, and I plan to join my family business now." He explained, while staring at me with his intense grey eyes. I averted my eyes from him feeling heat creep up my neck, covering my face.

"So you live here, in Seattle?" I inquired.

"Yes." There was a long awkward silence; both of us didn't know what to say.

"Actually Ryan I want-" I started to apologies to him for not thanking him for his help when suddenly I was distracted by someone calling my name.

"Aunt Bella!" Ethan shouted excitedly while running towards me in full speed and hugged my legs. He was holding Edward's hand in one of his tiny hand and dragged him along with him. I saw a look of surprise pass over Edward's face. "I have been looking for you. Look what uncle Edward got me." He excitedly extended his right arm and showed me a toy watch around his wrist. "Its Omnitrix just like Ben." He spins the round dial on the green and black watch to show me the aliens in it.

"Wow that is so cool buddy. Happy birthday Ethan, look at you, you are already so tall." I gushed while hugging him back.

"Yep, I am going to be as tall as daddy."

"There you are, I have been looking for you guys everywhere. Its time to cut the cake." Rosalie shouted while walking towards up.

"Yeah, let's go, let's go. I want to cut the Ben 10 cake." Ethan announced excitedly.

~SL~

"It seems like just yesterday, that I was in the hospital, holding Ethan's tiny, little body in my hands and now he is already five years old. Time flies by so fast." I said to no one in particular. I was watching him excitedly jumping on huge trampoline with his friends. He was screeching and laughing. He reminded me of dad so much, though he resembled Emmett, his mannerism and his habits were similar to those of dad. He is stubborn just like him. He hates the smell of coffee just like him.

"Its true." I heard someone utter from behind. I turned my head and saw Edward Cullen standing close behind me. He held a Champaign flute in his hand and slowly sipped from it. "So you are the famous Bella, I always imagined you to be more… never mind." he commented staring intently in my dark brown eyes. His gaze was heated and chilling at the same time. He was wearing a grey, slim fit suit, with the top button open. The suit emphasized his slightly bulging biceps and his amazing body.

I turned my head in the front and looked around searching for Ryan, he had gone to get me a glass of juice. "Ahh… looking for your boyfriend, I see." He asked nonchalantly.

"He is not my boyfriend." I was irritated by his subtle insult that he almost uttered before not to mention his arrogant attitude. It was clear from my tone and body language that I was not interested in engaging in conversation with him, but no, he was hell bent on making me uncomfortable.

"Interesting. He does not seem like your type anyway." He said with a tiny smirk on his face, riling me up intentionally.

"Excuse me, but I don't think you know me enough to be aware of my type." I snapped at him.

"Easy little tiger. Just mentioning what I observed."

"Well, I don't need your opinion. So, if you will excuse me, I think I am going to find myself a better company." I said when I saw Ryan coming this way and I left him without a backward glance, however, I could feel his gaze following me everywhere, making me more unsettled.

"Hey, let's go somewhere private." I said spontaneously at the same time grabbing his arm and lead him towards a more secluded part of the garden.

"Okay…"

"Ryan, I wanted to apologies to you about my behavior at Tanya's party and not to mention that I didn't even thank you for your help that night. And then I saw you at the church and then you just completely disappeared after the service." I uttered in one single breath.

In response, he just laughed more like chortled at me. I was dumbfounded and then felt a little embarrassed. "You should have seen your face. It looked like you were confessing a big sin." He explained in between his laugh. After looking at my expression he sobered up a little. "Hey, I was not laughing at you. I just thought that you brought me here to have your way with me."

I blushed furiously at his confession.

"You don't have to apologies to me Bella or even thank me, you were going through a lot at that time, however, if you really want to make it up to me than you have to agree to something." His mouth kicked up with a tiny smirk. God, he was handsome. He came closer, and lightly took hold of my tiny hand in both of his strong hand. He licked his full lower lip and brought my hand up to his face, turning it over kissed the inside of wrist and kissed up towards the inside of my elbow. My breath hitched and my mind stopped working altogether. God, this man was lethal.

"What?" I asked breathlessly.

"You have to go out on a date with me." He murmured lightly while kissing my palm.

"I-I don't know what to say?"

"Just say yes."

"Yes." I was in a trance; I no longer had a control on my body and my mind. I have never experienced anything like this before. The way he stared at me with his silver grey eyes made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman on this earth, and he couldn't help himself. I just hoped that I wouldn't regret saying yes to him.

~SL~

**AN: Thank you guys for reviewing and for favouriting my story. I am so so Sorry guys for the late update. I was quite busy with my university work therefore, I couldn't update sooner. I hope you like this chapter. please review, comment. I would really like to know what you guys think of Edward and Ryan. Please tell me if you love or hate Edward. **

**~MMC~**


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